Students in the Spanish major
acquire knowledge in language,
literature and culture!
The goal of the Spanish program at USU is to
prepare students for advanced studies in
Spanish language, literature, and culture.
Spanish majors at USU take extensive
language courses where they develop reading,
speaking, listening, and writing skills.
Students take courses in Spanish and Latin
American history, literature, and culture
giving them the opportunity to broaden their
education.
The faculty members in this department have
culturally diverse expertise in all aspects and
areas of language and literature. Students have
access to their knowledge, to help them
prepare for various careers in government,
education, travel, and foreign affairs. Students
also have a chance to complete an
international experience component through
the study abroad program. Spanish majors
gain a solid grounding in both language and
culture, which helps them function effectively
as members of the international community.
A teaching emphasis in Spanish is offered for
students who wish to obtain licensure to teach
in secondary schools. It includes courses in
linguistics and teaching methodologies.
General Education and your
Spanish Major are designed
to go hand-in-hand!
Make the USU General Education
requirements complement and support your
Spanish degree by using these courses to help
you:
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write clearly, think creatively,
learn how to see connections across
diverse areas,
learn how to reason with numbers,
develop resources for communicating
with a wide variety of audiences,
and learn how to learn, regardless of
the setting.
Competency Requirements:
Guidelines for meeting
General Education
Requirements
&
Recommendations for a
Spanish Major
ENGL 1010 (or test out) Introduction to
Writing and ENGL 2010 Intermediate Writing
(6 credits): We hope you use these courses to
refine your writing skills. Learn how to
develop a clear thesis statement, organize and
support your thoughts, provide clear previews,
transitions, and summaries, as well as avoid
writing errors that detract from your message.
Whether in English or in Spanish the
fundamental ideas behind good writing are the
same and sloppy writing is like being served
food on a dirty platter. Learn to present your
ideas on a platter that is clean and inviting.
STAT 1050 College Algebra (4 credits): Like
it or not, numbers play an important role in
virtually any career and in everyday life. We
hope you use this course to prepare you to
understand and evaluate claims grounded in
numbers. Math is mental weight training,
strengthening you for a variety of analytical
tasks.
Breadth Requirements:
American Institutions – HIST 2700 United
States to 1877or HIST 2710 United States
1877 - Present (3 credits): We encourage you
to take one of these courses and to ask
questions about the role of Spanish speaking
populations during these periods. The United
States history is one involving many different
populations. Strive to expand your knowledge
of how Spanish speaking populations
contributed to this history.
Creative Arts – USU 1330 Civilization
Creative Arts (3 credits): Art and our
language both share the power to move us
emotionally. Successful communication in any
language often goes beyond what is expected.
Watch for how various artists step out of the
box and convey messages in unexpected, yet
powerful ways. Our major is focused on
human communication. How do the art forms
you study express what all humans share and
what makes each human unique? If you have a
specific art you want to develop, that is
wonderful; otherwise we recommend you take
the broad USU course that exposes you to
examples from many art forms.
Humanities – ENGL 2200 Understanding
Literature, or 2210 Intro to Folklore, 2220
Intro to Fiction, or 2240 Intro to Poetry (3
credits): The Spanish major is grounded in the
study of literature and culture. All of these
English classes are focused on different
aspects of literature and will give you valuable
experience with interpretation and analysis of
literary works.
Life Sciences – USU 1350 Integrated Life
Science or BIOL 1010 Biology and the Citizen
(3 credits): Many people view human
interaction from the same cause and effect
model used in the sciences. These life science
courses are grounded in this cause and effect
perspective. Understanding relationships is
important in the Spanish major and we
encourage you to develop an appreciation for
how this causal model approaches problems so
that you can recognize its strengths and
limitations. BIOL 1010 is good for our majors
because of its explicit connection to people.
Physical Sciences – USU 1360 Integrated
Physical Sciences or PHYS 1200 Introduction
to Physics by Hands-on Exploration (3
credits): Progress in the sciences has made a
huge impact in the global community in which
we live. To communicate effectively in this
global community it is useful to have a broad
understanding of how both the physical and
social worlds impact us. Complement your
knowledge of the social world with an
increased understanding of the physical world.
The hands-on nature of the PHYS 1200 course
makes it ideal for our students who want
exposure to the tangible and practical nature of
science.
Social Sciences – USU 1340 or ANTH 2010
Peoples of the Contemporary World or LANG
2100 Languages in Society (3 credits):
Understanding various cultures requires a
person to make comparisons in positive and
insightful ways. The broad, yet comparative
nature of these courses can help you recognize
important factors in understanding differences
across communities. The LANG 2100 course
on languages in society is particularly helpful
in showing how Spanish and other languages
play an essential role in identity development
and the value of a multi-lingual society.
Exploration – LANG 2100 Languages of the
World or ANTH 1010 Cultural Anthropology
or PHIL 1120 Social Ethics (3 credits): Use
the exploration requirement as a way to
explore issues that are interesting to you, but
are still closely tied to large-scale issues
related to culture. These courses examine the
impact of culture and social structures on
human communities. Practice making
connections between the large-scale structures
discussed and individual behavior. Seeing
connections is an essential ability in this field.
DSS that fits your interests and expands your
understanding of culture. Focus your attention
o what the course has to say about successful
relationships, particularly in settings where
individuals come from diverse backgrounds.
Depth Requirements:
Communication Intensive (CI) – (two courses)
Use SPAN 3060 Advanced Conversation and
Composition for one of the CI classes to fulfill
this requirement. Every opportunity to
strengthen your language skills is valuable.
We recommend ANTH 3130 Peoples of Latin
America when it is available. This course will
help you to delve deeper into the cultural
norms of an important Spanish speaking
population. If this course is not available we
encourage you to choose a course that is
focused on culture in some way.
Life and Physical Sciences – Open to your
interests (at least 2 credits). Consider
selecting a DSC course like PSC 3820 Climate
Change or 4600 Cereal Science that is also a
QI course, deepening your knowledge of two
skills at once.
Social Sciences – (at least two credits).We
suggest you take POLS 3210 Western
European Government and Politics or POLS
3270 Latin American Government and
Politics. These courses will complement your
Spanish major cultures and give you a broader
understanding of that region. These courses
are not always available; in that case, select a
Quantitative Intensive (QI) – PHIL 2200
Deductive Logic, or PSY 2800 Psychological
Statistics, or POLS 3000 Intro to Political
Research or a QI course that also has a DSC
designation (2+ credits): These courses will
refine your ability to logically work through
problems or use statistics appropriately.
The Spanish major can prepare you for
a variety of career paths. Some of the
most familiar careers involve teaching,
translating, working with government
agencies, and working with multinational corporations or companies that
work with Spanish speaking
constituents.
Learn to learn,
Learn to communicate,
Learn to communicate
globally!